I bought my current doublebass last year on Christmas Eve as a gift for myself. I took lessons for around 6 months with the Kansas City legend Gerald Spaits. We worked on the fundamentals of holding the instrument, sound, bowing, and simple walking bass lines. Since then, I’ve been transcribing and reading various classical method books.
My goal for 2011 was to dedicate 1 hour each day to the bass. My friend Matt Otto’s hypothesis was that just one hour a day of practice would yield great results over the long run. I would say on average I was able to get in around 4-5 hours each week depending on my schedule.
My practice schedule is quite simple. 30 min of technique, 30 min of walking and improvising my “tune of the week.” I’m hoping for a productive 2012 and have many ideas for posting new duet and instructional videos. Cheers!
